It is high time the state of Massachusetts end the exclusive contract for police to direct traffic at road construction sites in what are known as road details. Our neighboring states don’t have this contract, and there is a good reason: It’s far too expensive.

This financially ruinous policy is a holdover from the bad old days when police coverage was set to greatly enrich the prison industrial complex, insurance companies and the brotherhood of police. It was negotiated by the powerful police lobby (government lobbying government) and taxpayers have been robbed blind by it ever since.

Motorists approaching road construction don’t need police with loaded guns, access to Tasers, billy clubs, pepper spray and powerful computers in their cruisers that can be used to illegally access citizens’ personal information, along with tens of thousands of dollars of equipment, just to direct traffic.

Police are currently getting as much as $2,000 per 40-hour week on road detail work, and that’s just the beginning of the financial disaster for taxpayers. Each extra hour that police put in for adds to their already exorbitant retirement. Many officers put in as many hours as possible during their last year on the payroll to “pad” their retirements. Taxpayers are then saddled paying the higher amount for the rest of the officer’s life.

For years, police cruisers have been parked in the travel lanes, creating dangerous traffic bottlenecks. Some cruisers are left running all day. Excuses range from (pick one) the police lights would run the battery down; the police radio would run the battery down or they need the air conditioning. They aren’t paying for the fuel, you are. Also, government doesn’t pay for their expensive insurance and liability coverage, taxpayers do.

Civilians do a far better job for a third of the cost. They are able to direct traffic without loaded guns. They park their cars off the road, out of the way, with the engines turned off. They aren’t above holding up sings that say “stop” (red) and “go” (green). Civilians don’t need “points” on their quotas. They aren’t likely to falsely accuse citizens of a crime and they won’t get promotions if they do.

Civilians don’t feel compelled to financially, legally or physically harm citizens because of a perceived slight to an ego trip or power trip. All planned traffic duty should be providing thousands of civilians with decent paying jobs.

Much of what police do today has nothing to do with anything that benefits citizens or society as a whole. This policy is a shining example. This exclusive contract is nothing but a colossal junket for the police. Period.

It’s time to get the police back to doing their job: law enforcement. Citizens have a fundamental right to keep some of their income, to maintain their homes, educate their children and buy groceries, rather then being forced to further enrich grossly overpaid and compensated police. Ending this massive statewide junket for the police will be a giant leap forward for the citizens of the state.

Tedd White lives in Hawley.